 |
Dr. Muqtedar Khan's Response: Secularism may be a desirable, but
not a necessary precondition in order to foster state neutrality in a
multireligious society. Consider the U.K., which is formally a
theocratic democracy. The monarch is head of the church as well as head
of the government. Changes in the doctrines of the Church of England are
a matter for the British Parliament. While England is a theocratic
democracy, India is a secular democracy; in England the government
remains neutral, whereas in India government takes sides in communal
violence. Recently, in Gujarat in March 2002, the Hindu ruling party,
BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party], was implicated in the massacre of Muslims.
According to Human Rights Watch, the Gujarat government had ordered the
police not to protect minorities. The key issue is whether states
realize religious freedom and religious equality and not constitutional
secularity.
Dr. Daniel Pipes's Rebuttal: We generally
agree on this one.
| | |
|
Dr. Daniel Pipes's Response: The United States
is the most secular and the most democratic society, suggesting a
correlation between the two; but there are plenty of examples of
countries with established religions, starting with the United Kingdom
and ending with Israel, that also have fully functioning democracies.
So, no, secularism is not a prerequisite.
Dr. Muqtedar Khan's Rebuttal: I am not
sure whether the U.S. is more secular than, say, France and Canada or
even Iraq under Saddam; after all, we have a president who believes in
"faith-based initiatives" and has Bible sessions in the White House. We
have also had Christian mullahs running for president (Jesse Jackson and
Pat Robertson). The federal government employs thousands of chaplains
and actually provides religious services. America is a very religious
state, and the Christian Right is a major political force and Christian
values (on, say, abortion, gay unions) do shape the political landscape.
American politics is not entirely secular. But yes, there are
constitutional limits imposed by a Jeffersonian reading of the First
Amendment on the fraternity of state and religion. Having said that, I
agree with Dr. Pipes that secularism is not a necessary condition for
democracy.
| |
